COACH’S COMMENT: “We’ve had a good preseason. I’m really happy right now. We have basketball players who are smart, so I’m excited. As long as we stay within ourselves, we’ll be competitive every game. The league as a whole has a lot of new faces. Getting back to the tournament is our goal.”

THE FORECASTER’S FORECAST: After a bitter and heartwrenching ending to the 2013-14 campaign, Greely begins a new season with a new look, but can’t be counted out. The Rangers graduated almost all of their minutes and production, but there is some promise in reserve. Look for this squad to show steady improvement throughout. Axelsen is the only returner who saw ample playing time in 2013-14. He’ll be the point guard. Two players with familiar last names will look to produce offense. Sophomore forward Matt McDevitt (Mike’s younger brother) and junior guard Caleb Normandeau (Jonah’s brother) can both knock down shots. Joining McDevitt in the frontcourt will be senior Jordan Tebbs and junior Calvin Soule. Sophomores Jordan Bagshaw and Ryan Twitchell will help fill spots at guard. Just because Greely doesn’t boast household names doesn’t mean the opposition should expect victories. This is a proud program used to plugging holes. The Rangers don’t have the albatross of expectations this time around and should be able to improve steadily. Don’t be surprised if Greely does enough to extend its postseason streak to 24 years. It won’t be long until the Rangers find themselves in a top contender’s role yet again.

COACH’S COMMENT: “I think we’re up to the challenge this year. We have the talent to win a state championship. We’re that deep and that strong. You have to have senior leadership and we have two of the best. We’ll be a tremendous ball-handling team. I’m going to let the kids play. (Assistant coach) Diana (Manduca) makes us better on both offense and defense.”

THE FORECASTER’S FORECAST: This might be your 2014-15 Class B state champion and these Rangers don’t mind the pressure of high expectations. They’re that good and they’re confident too. For good reason. For starters, Greely returns arguably the state’s best player, the University of New Hampshire-bound Storey, who only played in 15 games last winter, yet still finished sixth in the conference in scoring (16 points per game) and was third in rebounds (10.0) and eighth in assists (3.0) in earning first-team all-star honors. She’ll give opposing players and coaches nightmares, not just because of her unrivaled talents, but because she’s so unselfish and willing to make her teammates better. Haley Felkel only stands 5-feet-5, but will be in a forward position because she’s a tenacious rebounder. She’s also the team’s emotional leader. Train, who can play any position, will also be a forward after a strong freshman campaign. Sarah Felkel will run the offense at point guard. Chapin is capable of knocking down some key shots, also coming off a promising freshman year. Junior Maddy Cyr will help inside, while sophomore Isabelle Porter has the ability to play guard and forward. There are other good teams in Western B, but at press time, the Rangers appear to be the best. If they can stay healthy and focused, they’ll have a chance to do something no Greely team has accomplished in 11 years: bring home a Gold Ball.

COACH’S COMMENT: “We know we’re young, with a lot of people stepping in to newer, bigger roles, but we have a really good group of guys who are ready to get working and we believe we can become a very competitive team in the league. It might take us a little while to solidify our game in all three zones to where we want it to be, but we’ve had a good start. There’s a promising chemistry and positive attitude. We have a strong foundation in net with a four-year starter. Lots of players, all but two of whom are underclassmen, will step into bigger roles. As always, we play a tough regular season schedule against top Western B teams, as well as crossover games. We hope that kind of competition will help the team grow and develop and become a solid playoff contender.”

THE FORECASTER’S FORECAST: The premier team in Class B over the past decade might appear to some to be coming back to the pack this winter, but the rest of the region would be wise not to get too comfortable. There is still plenty of championship experience on the roster and this group is hungry after its two-year title run came to a close last March. For starters, there aren’t many teams who can boast a four-year starting goalie, especially one with the resume of Kramlich, who already has backstopped two state champions, and last year, went 5-6-2 with a 3.00 goals against average, saving 90 percent of the shots he faced. He hopes to bow out being avalanched once more by his teammates in a championship celebration. Offensively, Ray (10 goals, 5 assists in 2013-14) figures to lead the way. He’ll get help on the forward line from Gervais (5 goals, 7 assists) and Fried (2 goals, 3 assists). Sophomores Ryan Megathlin, Coby Robinson and Jack Saffian bring depth to the offense. Wright is the top returning defenseman. He’ll get help from junior Nick Caputo and sophomore Ryan Sullivan. Greely will have its hands full almost every time out with a very challenging slate, but this program is used to it and it pays off come playoff time where the Rangers should find themselves again in the hunt for a title. Don’t slam the door on this dynasty just yet.

COACH’S COMMENT: “We have a strong returning core after losing only two seniors to graduation. We have some strong incoming freshmen who should pick up the slack. Our regular season goal is to earn a first round home playoff game. Our playoff goal is to win the East and compete for the state championship.”

THE FORECASTER’S FORECAST: Greely’s two-year title reign ended last winter, but the Rangers were again in the hunt deep into the playoffs. Expect more of the same this season as Greely has firepower and will only get better in the weeks to come. The Rangers won their first three contests, defeating St. Dom’s (11-2), Biddeford (5-0) and Winslow (11-1). The top returner and offensive threat is Storey, an East Region second-team all-star a year ago, who had a hat trick in the win over Winslow. Verrill had two goals in that game and along with Schad, McGillicuddy, Perry and sophomore Victoria Lattanzi, will help the cause. Freshmen Bridget Roberts and Courtney Sullivan will also be heard from. Sophomore Nica Todd is in goal. Greely has enough balance and firepower to go a long way. After falling short a year ago, the Rangers will be hungry to regain a championship. Don’t bet against them.

COACH’S COMMENT: “A lot of new boys will help determine our fate. In the meantime, we have a few top men and some potential to score in the top 10 at the state meet. We’ll definitely improve. The girls would like to be a top three team in the league. At the state meet, we’d like to compete as well for a top three finish. We have lots of young, untested girls. We’ll see how they pan out. We have lots of room for improvement and we’ll work to that end.“

THE FORECASTER’S FORECAST: Greely, like it always does, boasts plenty of firepower this season.

The boys are led by Ray (runner-up in the pole vault a year ago). He hopes to soar to the top spot this winter. Bonnevie is another vaulter to watch. In the throws, look for Pomeroy to lead the way. Black and Shain are top jumpers. On the track side, the sprinting contingent is paced by Chapin, Perry and Wyman. Perry is also a hurdler. Distance runners of note include Hansen, Light, Morrison, Stickney and new senior Will Johnson. Sophomore Paul Bischoff could contend in several different events. This is a team that has great potential. The Rangers are coming off their lowest state meet finish in three decades. Look for this year’s team to return to top 10 form.

On the girls’ side, runner-up finishes have been the norm in recent years and this squad will be in the hunt for a high finish as well. Mason and Stickney were part of a state champion 3,200 relay squad last winter and will be part of a distance crew looking to replace graduated standout Kirstin Sandreuter. They’re joined by Emery, senior Julia Ramseyer and freshmen Olivia Bucknam and Kate Curran. Reed sprints. Mitiguy (fifth in the 55 hurdles last season) is the top hurdler. On the field side, Coyne is the returning champion in the shot put. She’s joined by Gallati. Coyne also vaults, as do McMonagle (third last season) and Wetzel. Top jumpers include Daugherty and Pynchon. Freshman Chloe Waldrep joins them. Greely will have its hands full in the league and at the state meet, but when all is said and done, the Rangers will likely again be among the very best.

COACH’S COMMENT: “The cupboard isn’t bare, but there is a lot of shelf lining exposed. We graduated the core of our boys’ team, 85 percent of our scoring. We won’t be in the hunt for any team awards, but that’s not how we’re defined. We want to have incredible performances at the end of the season and that’s what we’ll work towards. Our numbers and experience are down, but the purpose is the same. The girls, unlike the boys, have something on every shelf. We’ll have all the events covered except for diving. We’ve gained a couple freshmen with competitive swim experience, so hopefully they’ll add to our depth and versatility. Our team success will depend on everyone moving up. We don’t have the handful of superstars of the past couple years to carry us. We’ll be in the thick of things locally and at states, but I’m not sure we have enough to bring home some bling. We should be in the top three.”

THE FORECASTER’S FORECAST: Things are never dull with this program and both teams will continue to vie for greatness in the weeks to come.

The boys likely won’t make it six state titles in a row, but there will be some memories made nonetheless. The top returning scorer is Plante, who placed fourth in both the 100 free and backstroke last season. He’ll be a top sprinter. Rog was seventh in the individual medley and eighth in the 500 free. He’ll swim a variety of events. Merrifield is a freestyle threat. This group will be competitive in the regular season and will make some noise at Southwesterns and states.

On the girls’ side, the Rangers have finished in the top three at states an amazing 19 straight seasons and that streak should continue. Plenty of scorers return. Leading the way will be Park, who was runner-up in the 500 free and third in the 200 free last winter. She’ll also compete in the butterfly this season. Other returning scorers include Dransfield (third in the backstroke), Bacall (fourth in the 500 free, seventh in the 200 free), Currie (sixth in the 500 free, eighth in the 200 free) and Civiello (eighth in the 100 free). Some newcomers will add depth. Greely will be right there with Cape Elizabeth and Cheverus at Southwesterns. Beating MDI at states won’t come easily, but you can never count this program out.

COACH’S COMMENT: “The boys graduated Sam Perlmutter, but everyone else is back, so we should be in good shape. The girls graduated seven state champs that only had one loss in four years, but we have a nucleus of 18 athletes.”

The boys will miss Perlmutter’s top finishes, but three state meet scorers return. Piacentini came in 16th in the Class A slalom a year ago. Bryant was 18th in the giant slalom, while Lindsay placed 25th in the slalom. Manning and Washo also have experience. Senior Tim Adams, freshmen Nate Bryant and Will Murphy and exchange student Masashi Fuji will also figure into the mix. The Rangers could be in line to shoot up the standings this winter.

On the girls’ side, after an amazing run of dominance, Greely might come back to the pack this season, but that doesn’t mean the Rangers can’t make a run at the top spot. Otley will lead the way this time around. She came in sixth in the giant slalom and 11th in the slalom last year. Hoffman, Murphy, Novick, O’Donovan and Perlmutter are awaiting their turn to shine. Lauren Murley, Allie Swaney and freshmen Nettie Cunningham, Oliiva Murley, Ella Novick, Erin O’Donovan and Greta Van Curan will all have a chance to enter the fray. Write off this team at your own peril.

NORDIC SKIING

COACHES: Rye Daily (second year)

2013-14 results:

(BOYS) 8th @ Class A State Meet

(GIRLS) 9th @ Class A State Meet

TOP RETURNERS:

(BOYS) Tim Adams (Senior), Connor Whittum (Senior)

(GIRLS) Emily Follett (Senior), Jessie Hoffman (Senior)

TOP FOES: Falmouth, Yarmouth

COACH’S COMMENT: “I’m very excited about coaching and competing this season. The skiers are energized and many worked hard throughout the offseason attending camps or organizing workout sessions to prepare.”

THE FORECASTER’S FORECAST: Look for both Greely Nordic teams to move up this season.

The boys will be led by Adams, who came in 20th in the classical and 29th in the freestyle. Whittum also has experience. Freshman Evan Goettel could quickly become a factor as well. The Rangers will be in the mix throughout the season and will be a force at the Class A state meet.

The girls’ squad will be led by Follett, who came in 26th in the freestyle and 31st in the classical last season. Hoffman, a skimeister, is another returning talent. Sophomore Isabella Perry joins the squad and provides depth. Look for Greely to enjoy a strong season throughout.